Weekly Self-Therapy

I have settled into a new personal routine. One morning a week I spend about 30 minutes reflecting and writing. I imagine what I’d say to my own therapist – about what has been successful and what has been hard. And then I imagine we talk about what I’ve been practicing and what I could add to the routine. I’m calling it weekly self-therapy. Want to try?

Question one: What is going well this week, name successes, things you’ve accomplished, and moments you are proud about.

Question two: What has been a challenge or area where you feel stuck?

Question three: Based on last week’s entry to question four, reflect on what skill or tool you used to work through a stuck point or simply offer care to yourself over the last week. 

Question four: Considering questions one to three, what is a skill or tool that would be supportive to you this week. 

Tip one: Pause before each question or at the start and consider what is deeply true for you. This practice is most helpful if you are honest and clear about what is under the surface. 

Tip two:  Skills and tools might sound vague, that’s because it is meant to be vague. What you add here will really depend on your situation, and with time you might start to notice patterns of what best serves you. Perhaps you’re a person who pushes themselves to be successful, maybe you could reflect on what you define as success or build in more time for rest or play into your week. Perhaps you’re a person who is critical of your every move, maybe you’d benefit from increased self-compassionate talk or reflecting on what you’ve done well each day or a daily act of self-kindness. Perhaps you’re a person who is focused on everyone else, maybe you could try tuning into your feelings and needs or spend some time taking care of your unmet needs. Perhaps you’re a person who feels irritable, what might serve you is practicing gratitude or identifying some deep truths and speaking to yourself and others about your experience. 

Tip three: If you have no ideas on skills or tools to try, you might consider finding a therapist who can assist you in your discovery, reading self-help books for ideas, reflecting on your values, or considering what you hope someone else might do for you and figure out how to do it for yourself.

Tip four: Consider a mid-week or daily check in, especially if you are feeling challenged to remember your planned tool/skill.